


A Handful of Cookies

by jjabajas



Category: AKB48 & Related Fandoms, Nogizaka46 (Band), SKE48
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:29:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjabajas/pseuds/jjabajas
Summary: “What’s that?”“Hmm?”“In your mouth. Are those cookies?”“Mhmm.”“Miona.”She can tell Asuka won’t leave unless she really answers her, so Miona reluctantly drags her eyes up to look at her friend. “Yes. Cookies.”“From you-know-who?”“Yes. Voldemort made me chocolate chip cookies. Want some?”Stepping out. Stepping up. With a side of cookies.
Relationships: Hori Miona/Matsui Jurina
Kudos: 26





	A Handful of Cookies

**_A handful of cookies_ **

“She doesn’t look crazy.”

“You can’t say that.”

“Sorry! It’s just—I mean, it’s not like I’m the only one thinking it.”

Miona normally tunes out most of what the other members say during rehearsal. She likes to focus more on the choreo or just literally anything else, really.

She doesn’t like gossip, so she normally doesn’t listen.

It’s not until she hears her name that she gets concerned.

“Looks like she’s coming over.”

“Maybe she has a question—”

“Wait, isn’t she friends with Miona?”

That definitely gets her attention.

Miona looks up and her eyes subconsciously go to the members whose voices she’d heard. They’re all trying to not be too obvious about their interest, but it’s fooling absolutely no one.

Certainly not fooling the woman-of-the-hour who’d just walked into the lion’s den.

A smile and the most earnest voice she’d ever heard. Of course it’s her.

“Good morning. Your manager said I could come say hi, I hope I’m not bothering you.” Jurina really is too nice.

“Of course not. It’s nice to see you, Jurina.” Miona doesn’t have to try to put on a smile, it always comes naturally around the SKE girl.

“I brought you something. It’s probably better to give it to you later, though…”

“What is it?”

“Nothing bad, I promise.” There’s that laugh. Sounds a bit more forced than usual, though. “It’s just something I put together on the off-chance I saw you today.”

“You made it yourself?”

“Yes, so please be kind with your words.” She sounds nervous, but Miona figures that’s in part to do with the mini-audience she’s drawn with her presence. She doubts there’s a single place she could go where she isn’t a hot topic these days.

The need to finish off their conversation in private comes swiftly. But they can’t. They have a performance soon.

“We can meet after, if you’re free.”

“Definitely.” Jurina nods, already backing up. Like she can’t wait to get out of there. “I’ll come find you.” And then she’s weaving back from whence she came. Back towards her own group members.

Miona tries to focus back in on getting ready, but she’s extra mindful of the extra eyes on her now.

\--

Miona washes her hands at the sink, all the while double-checking her makeup in the mirror.

Still good.

Asuka drifts to the sink beside her, looking half-dead, half-bored out of her mind. She’s been having some neck troubles recently, especially with the new choreography. No one knows but Miona, though. Which is why they take bathroom breaks together so Asuka can get some extra stretches in. They don’t normally talk much, though.

“Jurina’s back, huh?”

Well. It looks like they’re talking today.

“Yeah.”

“You’re meeting up with her?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.” Asuka drifts over to the hand dryer. She doesn’t walk, really, she just kind of goes wherever her body takes her. It really fits the group’s aesthetic.

Miona walks.

“How’s your neck?”

“Fine.” Asuka sticks her hands underneath the dryer even though her hands aren’t even wet. Maybe she just likes the noise. “I thought it didn’t work out after that date.”

Miona sighs. She’s a bit surprised by the sudden interest, but she figures Jurina’s on everybody’s mind these days. Even Miss really-couldn’t-care-less-about-anything Saito Asuka.

“It didn’t _not_ work out. Nothing happened.”

“Wasn’t that the problem?”

“She was sick.” Miona knows it sounds like an excuse, but it’s not. An ace like Jurina being as sick as she was had made it to the morning news. Even being in a completely separate group, Miona had still felt some of the ripple effects. She figures it’s about as good an excuse as any for going ghost for the rest of the summer.

“Well, she’s better now, so.” Asuka nods, finally leaving the dryer.

“So…” Miona doesn’t want to seem too curious, but she can’t help it. She wants to know what it looks like to someone else looking in. What’s the obvious next step for her to take?

“So. My neck feels better now.”

\--

Miona doesn’t expect to find Jurina waiting outside their dressing room when they finally make it back, but there she is.

True to her character, she’s chatting up a member of a smaller indie group. The other girl’s looking up at her with stars in her eyes like she’d never met anyone more important. Miona hopes she doesn’t look like that anymore. She hopes the shine’s worn off.

When Jurina glances up at her though, she has to fight back the smile that threatens to take over her face. Maybe she’s still the same, after all.

Asuka manages to dodge past them with the barest of greetings, but Miona’s not that lucky. She doesn’t want to be.

The young idol group member takes the hint to leave and then there were two.

Jurina faces Miona with the smile to end all smiles.

“I was worried I’d missed you—”

“Do you want to go to the bathroom—”

They both speak at the same time and Miona almost laughs at the confused look that graces Jurina’s face when she realizes what’s she said.

“The bathroom…?”

“It’s single stall. More… private.”

“Oh. It’s not…” Jurina looks even more self-conscious now, if that’s possible. Like it’s the first time she’s realizing just how much attention she draws. How other people might not want that kind of attention at all. How Miona’s standing just a bit too far away. “If you want. Or we don’t have to—don’t have to do this right now. If you want.”

“No, I can—”

“It’s just some cookies that I made.” She thrusts her hands out in some kind of offering. Foil wrapped carefully over what definitely could be homemade pastries. “Something to cheer you up a bit and just—”

Miona feels like she’ll be the worst person ever if she does anything other than accept the gift. So she does.

The real mistake is opening them right then and there.

There’s a small mound of sugar cookies with icing on top. Icing spelling out the words—

“I’m sorry.” Jurina’s voice is low. Like if she can say the words quietly enough, then they might just disappear off the face of the cookies. They don’t.

“Oh.” Miona half-folds a piece of the foil back over it. Like she can pretend she’s not trying to hide it all. “Thanks. These are sweet.” She doesn’t know what else to say.

More specifically, she doesn’t know what else to say right here, right outside her group’s dressing room.

Jurina nods. She gets it. Maybe.

“I’m looking forward to your performance today.”

“Yours too. I like the new song.”

They throw out a few more empty platitudes before they eventually part, Jurina heading back towards her own dressing room with a wave.

And Miona’s left with a handful of cookies.

\--

When one of the backup dancers falls and breaks his leg—well, no one really notices at first.

To his credit, he doesn’t so much scream as he just lets out a grunt of pain and curls up into a ball right on the edge of the stage.

Over the song blaring through the speakers, no one hears anything.

It’s Asuka that sees him first. Then Miona and her other group members. Then the other groups that are playing their ‘audience member’ roles on the set beside them. The MCs are too far away and too busy ‘enjoying’ the performance in front of the cameras to notice.

There’s a wave of disquiet that washes over them because no one knows what to do. Or if there’s anything that _can_ be done. Maybe their managers will—

It’s Jurina that goes to the dancer first.

She crouches beside him and Miona can’t help the thought that immediately springs up begging her to come back.

Jurina’s no medical professional and there’s no knowing if the cameras can still see them.

It’s a live broadcast for heaven’s sake—what does she think she’s doing?

But she doesn’t say that. Her group members do.

“What’s she doing?”

“The cameras are going to swing back any second—”

“I know she’s crazy, but this is—”

“She wants the attention, that’s why she’s always doing stuff like this—”

“ _Miona! Where are you going?_ ”

Oh, maybe that last one is for her.

By the time the warning registers in her ears, Miona’s already crouched down next to the crime scene. Jurina barely spares her a glance—still focused on the dancer and whatever she’s telling him.

But that smile.

That smile comes out in full force and Miona’s always been weak to it.

She lets herself revel in the adrenaline rushing through her veins and forces all other thoughts and voices to the back of her mind. Who cares what they’re saying anyway?

Well, one voice does break through. “How is he?”

It’s Asuka. Crouched right beside Miona with a grace that does not befit the unprofessionalism they’re currently putting on for all the world to see. But no one’s yanked them off stage yet, so.

“His leg’s broken.” Jurina’s response is hushed. The performance is over and the MCs are interviewing the act now. By some small saving grace, they’re on the complete opposite side of the stage. “We should move him so the managers can get to him.”

Asuka nods. Because it really is that simple now that they have strength in numbers. The dancer’s injured and the show must go on—it _is_ going on. They need to get him off the stage.

Miona sees a tiny rush of activity behind the cameras—two very worried managers trying to convince the producers to let them get to the girls. Or to cut the cameras. Or to do something other than pretend that nothing was happening.

And then. The lights over their section dims.

But that’s the least helpful thing they could’ve done now that they need to move an injured man off a platform and over dozens of cords and cables.

“Can you get his other arm?” Jurina grabs his left and Asuka wordlessly moves to the other side and grabs his right. And here Miona has a choice.

She could back out right now. Let her friends do what they’re doing.

Potentially still avoid the worst of the fallout this little stunt’s going to cost them.

She could walk away, walk back to the rest of the group.

But—

“I’ll get his bad leg. We can get him over the steps.”

—she stays.

\--

They do get in trouble, as predicted.

But, it’s nothing more than a stern talking to from their respective managers.

Turns out the cameras did see them. As did about 5 million live viewers.

What follows isn’t quite the doom and gloom and cries of idol unprofessionalism that Miona had imagined in the seconds before she’d moved to Jurina’s side. It’s the complete opposite, actually. It’s hundreds and thousands of comments about how kind they were to help him. How smart they were to try to get him to safety. How nice it was to see members of rival groups working together. How unexpected it was to see idols being the ones to help him out of all the other artists that were there, how rare that was—unrehearsed, potentially ill-advised, compassionate.

All of their names trend on the big social media sites.

Jurina’s trends the longest.

\--

“What’s that?”

“Hmm?” Miona doesn’t look up from her phone. It’s the first bit of alone time she’s gotten since rehearsals started. No way is she wasting any time.

“In your mouth. Are those cookies?”

“Mhmm.”

“Miona.”

She can tell Asuka won’t leave unless she really answers her, so Miona reluctantly drags her eyes up to look at her friend. “Yes. Cookies.”

“From you-know-who?”

“Yes. Voldemort made me chocolate chip cookies. Want some?”

The glare that’s aimed at her is deadly, but Miona just smiles innocently back at her friend. Asuka does take her up on her offer though. She looks around the table and quickly spots the sweets in question. Breaking off a piece of chocolate-filled goodness and popping it into her mouth—

“Mmm,” comes the approving response. “Tastes like… chocolate…” Miona rolls her eyes, but Asuka’s not done apparently. “With a hint of… what’s that—it’s on the tip of my tongue.”

“I don’t know what you think you’re tasting because—”

“Oh, that’s right. Tastes like a second date.”

It’s easy to notice the chatter around the dressing room going a bit quieter once those words enter the fray. If Miona tries, she could probably make out the heated whispers that immediately crop up.

“Already on the _second_ date—”

“Not even trying to hide it, it’s like she’s begging for someone to find out—”

“I bet he’s not even that good-looking if he’s interested in her—”

But she doesn’t hear them. Because she doesn’t care.

Instead Miona just cocks an eyebrow at her friend. She picks up the last piece of the cookie, deposits it in her mouth and revels in how it practically melts on her tongue.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing happened.”

“Sure.” Asuka glances at the phone clutched like a vice in Miona’s hand. When did she start caring so much about who Miona talks to? And when did Miona start letting her? “Tell you-know-who I like oatmeal raisin better.”

“Ew.”

Asuka drifts off to her seat and that should end the conversation.

Instead, moments later, Miona snorts out in laughter. She taps out something on her phone, then pockets it, turning to face a slightly curious Asuka.

“Voldemort says oatmeal raisin is for the elderly.”

Asuka rolls her eyes, rubbing at her neck self-consciously.

“Tell Voldemort to shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> A little something for Thanksgiving weekend~


End file.
